Latinitas is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Latina youth through media and technology. As a highly volunteer-driven organization, we are recruiting women leaders to serve as mentors and help organize empowering programs for young Latinas. For more information, visit www.LasLatinitas.com.

1. +

2. +
Latinitas FAQ
■What: Latinitas is a 501c3 nonprofit
dedicated to empowering Latina youth to
build confidence and learn how to express
themselves through media, art, culture and
technology
■Who: Founders Alicia Rascon & Laura
Donnelly Gonzalez
■Where: Offices in Austin & El Paso, TX
■When: Launched in 2002
■Why: To encourage Latina youth to use their
voice in their community.
For more information, visit www.LasLatinitas.com

3. +
Our Purpose
 Latinitas is a non-profit organization that enables young
Latinas to achieve personal and academic success
through media and technology outreach thereby addressing
the critical state of Latina girls today.
 While Latina girls ages 12 to 17 are the largest group of
minority girls in the country, they are more likely than their
non-Hispanic peers to face the four most serious threats to
achieving success: depression, pregnancy, substance abuse
and becoming a high school drop out.
 The solution lies in empowering these young Latinas,
strengthening their confidence and expanding their
opportunities. With a variety of enriching experiences,
Latinitas discover their voice and develop media skills while
building a solid foundation for their future.

4. +
Our Goals
■Provide a creative outlet for girls to express themselves, learn
about their culture and discover their voice.
■Help girls stay in school and be prepared for higher education.
■Foster the career exploration and S.T.E.M. exposure of girls to be
prepared to enter the workforce of the 21st century.
■Connect girls with positive role models and mentors.
■Strengthen girls’ confidence, self-esteem and cultural identity.
■Connect girls with media and technology tools and access.
■Promote leadership development, goal setting, social justice
advocacy & community service among girls.

5. +
Why Focus on Latina Youth?
There is a particular urgency regarding Latina girls
High School Drop Out: According to a recent report from the Mexican American Legal
Defense and Education Fund, 41 % of Latinas in the U.S. do not graduate from high
school on time with a diploma. Findings from the National Organization for Woman
confirm that Hispanic girls have the highest drop out rate of any female population in the
nation.
College Completion: Between the ages of 25 to 29, nearly 37 % of high-school-educated
whites have finished a bachelor’s degree, in comparison to 16 % of their Hispanic peers
according to the ERIC digest.
Teen Pregnancy: According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy: 51% of
Latinas get pregnant at least once before age 20 —compared to the national average
of 35%.
Media Representation: According to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists
(NAHJ), just 6 % of the people working in TV news and 4 % of the newspaper reporters in
this country are Latinos. A media analysis by NAHJ also determined that less than 1 % of the
stories aired by the news networks include Latinos. NAHJ reported that almost two thirds
(65%) of news stories about Latinos covered only four topics: immigration (34%), human-
interest stories (12%), homeland security (10%), and elections and politics (9%). According
to the Screen Actors Guild, Latinas represented only 6% of all roles on television or in
theater/feature productions in 2004.

6. +
Why media?
Our motivation to focus on media enrichment :
■Because Media is a way of expressing ourselves
■Because Media is a way to tell our stories
■Because Media is a way to raise awareness of issues
■Because Media is fun & engaging
■Because Media lacks Young Latina Voices
■Lack of Magazine Content for Hispanic girls
■Lack of Online Content for Young Latinas
■Latinos are consistently underrepresented or
stereotyped in media
■Lack of Latinos Behind the Scenes in Media
■Hispanics make up only 2% of newsroom staff
in U.S.

7. +
LatinitasMagazine.org
1st Digital Magazine by & for Latina youth in U.S.

8. +
www.LatinitasMagazine.org
• Web-based magazine created by & for girls
• Focus on Latina tweens & teens (11-18)
• Online forum where girls get published
• Bilingual website updated monthly
• Resource guide for girls with articles:
• Advice, hot topics, youth issues, wellness,
beauty, culture, role models, college, history
entertainment, school, poetry, profiles

9. +
▪Online community
▪Just for teen girls
▪Moderated posts
▪Blogs by girls
▪Discussion forums
▪Advice
▪Photo & video
sharing
www.MyLatinitas.com

10. +
Type of Programs
On-Going Programs
 Clubs - weekly creative expression after-school programs for girls (4th-8th
grade) held during the school year.
 Conferences – quarterly girl empowerment conferences for girls.
 Camps – week-long multimedia day seasonal camps for pre-teens.
Special Events & Projects
 Outreach Workshops - collaborative enrichment workshops on media, art, culture
and technology hosted by Latinitas for local youth groups.
 Youth Editorial Advisory Board - a writing training program for high schoolers.
 Internships - service-learning career opportunities for teen & college students.
 Teen Leaders- peer mentoring program helps teen girls develop leadership skills.

11. +
Type of Activities
Multimedia Self-expression activities:
■Writing
■Photography
■Poetry
■Film-making
■Arts & craft
■Journalism
■Cultural traditions
■Acting
■Graphic & web design
■Radio production
■Blogging

12. +
Our Programs Help
• Empowers girls through media
• Helps girls build confidence
• Teaches girls to express themselves creatively
• Builds media, writing & technology skills
• Trains the next generation of media makers
• Connects girls to role models & mentors
• Develops personal, academic & professional skills
• Offers hands-on lessons on art, journalism writing,
photography, graphic design, web design, desktop
publishing, radio & video production.

13. +
Volunteer Opportunities
Alliance for Latinitas
■ Goal: Help raise community awareness and funds to advance Latinitas mission of
empowering local girls.
■ Roles: Event Planner, Marketing Specialist, Promoter, Recruiter, Fundraiser
Girl Empowerment Team
■ Goal: Help organize events, field trips and programs to inspire Latinitas
members.
■ Roles: Club Leader, Workshop Leader, Guest Speaker, Mentor
Editorial Team
■ Goal: Help publish our empowerment-themed digital magazine.
■ Roles: Writer, Translator, Editor, Designer, Photographer
Special Events & Projects
■ Help on occasion at events and special projects.
■ Service-learning internships are available for high school & college applicants.

14. +
Volunteers Make a Difference
Our volunteers help by:
■ Facilitating clubs, workshops & programs
■ Publish inspiring bilingual articles & photos
■ Expose young girls to new skills and help them develop
their own voice
■ Act as role models & mentors for young girls
■ Connect Latinitas with a wider audience through media
promotion & marketing events.
■ Help Latinitas continue its empowering work by fundraising
to sustain projects
For more information, visit www.LasLatinitas.com

15. +
Thank You!